


Five Times River and Rory Talked

by szm



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-21
Updated: 2012-03-21
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/366782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(moved over from lj)</p>
<p>Written after 'A Good Man Goes to War' so AU after that.</p>
<p>Five Times River talked to Rory, and one time she couldn’t</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times River and Rory Talked

**1 (River is 15)**

Rory was walking along an alien cliff, hand in hand with his wife. The sun was shining, the Doctor had found some fascinating and apparently harmless rocks to play with, and they’d just come from visiting his daughter at 20, were she’s safe and sound studying at a 51st century university. Rory was very happy to chalk this one up as a good day.

Suddenly from out of nowhere comes a teenage girl running at him at speed. Before he can do anything he is knocked over and the girl has her head buried in his shoulder.

“Rory!” shouted Amy running over. 

“I’m okay,” called Rory, struggling into a sitting position. Wild curly hair in his face and he knows who this is. “River, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

Amy had reached them now. She crouched next to River and the girl lifted her head from Rory’s shoulder eyes filled with tears. Amy swept the hair out of her eyes. 

“I couldn’t cry,” said River breathlessly. “I wanted to but I couldn’t find it. Then the Doctor brought me here and I saw you and…”

River is crying now. Fat tears sliding down her face. Amy made comforting hushing sounds and Rory shifts them so they make a three person huddle against the world. 

“What happened?” he asked again gently. 

River shook her head. “I can’t tell you. Sp-spoilers,” she said almost choking on the last word. “I shouldn’t have come here… I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Amy, pressing a kiss to her daughters forehead.

“You can always come home, sweetheart,” added Rory.

River just cried harder and they held her tighter until she’d finished.

**2 (River is 39)**

Falart Henson of the 33rd regiment was having a very bad day. Some new prisoners had been brought in. An hour later a crazy man in a skirt had broken in. Then the prisoners had escaped. Now there were two types of sirens going off, conflicting reports coming in, and Falart had no idea where the prisoners _or_ the intruder were.

He’d told them trying to imprison the Doctor was a bad idea. No matter how impressive it looked to the other city states. “But who listens to me,” he grumbled to himself. He stood bent over the console, fingers scrabbling over the controls trying to find them. He felt something cold and sharp dig into the back of his neck.

“Turn around, slowly,” said a cold voice. “I’ll listen to you.”

Falart turned slowly. The intruder was standing in front of him, holding a short sword like he knew how to use it. Falart had worked in the control room of this prison for nearly 20 years. No-one got into the control room, it was impossible. But here was this man, dressed so strangely in some kind of leather dress, draped in a red cloak. He should look ridiculous. Falart looked into the man’s eyes. He didn’t look ridiculous.

“Where is my family?” asked the man in a voice that was used to being obeyed. 

“I don’t… I don’t know,” stuttered Falart.

“My wife, my daughter, and my… Doctor,” said the man calmly. “They were brought here a little over an hour ago.”

“I really don’t know,” said Falart quickly. “They escaped! I…”

He was interrupted by a clang overhead. The ventilation grill dropped to the floor and the Doctor climbed out. “I got listed as family!” he exclaimed happily to the vent. He reached inside and helped first one woman and then another out.

“Yes, yes,” said the younger, red haired woman. “We’re very happy for you.”

“Hello Dad!” said the older woman. Falart wondered how someone clearly older than the man in the skirt could be his daughter but decided now was not the best moment to ask. The older woman was favouring her right foot, the sword holder noticed and Falart could see the change in his eyes almost immediately. Something cold receded and something far warmer came to the front.

“River! What happened to you?” he sounded fond but scolding with it. It reminded Falart of the way his grandmother used to speak.

“Nothing, Rory,” said River. “I’m absolutely fine.”

“She went over on her ankle as we were running. She’s been limping a bit since,” said the red haired woman. She sounded worried too; maybe she was the older woman’s mother?

“Tattle-tale,” said River with a grin.

Rory rolled his eyes and passed the sword over to the red haired woman, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as he did so. The red haired woman bounced into Rory’s place front of Falart. She was waving the sword around, she looked more like a child playing, but Falart was a father too. He knew how dangerous children playing could be.

“Please,” said the red haired woman over her shoulder to River. “You love it when he fusses over you.”

River laughed as Rory lead her over to a stool. She sat down and Rory crouched in front of her. Long fingers carefully pressing into her ankle. He did look ridiculous now in his strange costume. Almost like he was wearing the wrong skin. 

He pressed on the ankle and River hissed in pain. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Nearly done.”

“Amy!” called the Doctor. The red haired woman turned to look at him. Falart hadn’t noticed him at the controls. “This system is fascinating! It’s a little bit telepathic, damn near sentient, I don’t think they know. Something to do with the crystal memory cells… Oh it’s a lovely thing!”

“That’s wonderful,” said Amy. “Can you find the way out?”

“Oh no, she’s far too worried about her operator. You’ve worked here a long time?”

It took Falart a few seconds to realise that the polite question was aimed at him. “Erm… yes? Er… 20 years, Sir. Give or take.”

“She likes you,” said the Doctor smiling at him. “Amy if you could stop waving that sword at the gentleman I feel that she would be more co-operative.”

Amy lowered the sword and hurried over to the Doctor. The Doctor pressed a few buttons and the sirens turned off. “There we go; they think we’ve been recaptured now.”

“Aww, that’s a shame," said River. “I was starting to feel quite at home.”

“My little jail bird,” said Amy fondly and Rory sighed. 

He stood up. “It’s a sprain, it’s going to swell up when we get back to the TARDIS and get that boot off.”

River stood and Rory put her arm over his shoulders to support her.

“I’m fine,” protested River half-heartedly.

“Shush, let me fuss,” said Rory smiling at her. “I know the way out, let’s go.”

“Hang on,” said Amy. “What’s to stop him from setting the alarms off again?” she pointed at Falart.

Falart looked at these wonderful and terrifying people. “Do you promise not to come back?” he asked.

After they left Falart glanced at his console. It didn’t look any different. “Er… hello?” he said gingerly.

**3 (River is 32)**

Rory sat on the bank and watched as Amy and the Doctor literally flew right overhead. 

“Hey, when are you going to have a go?” called Amy as she passed, too fast for Rory to reply. Turning her head made her flight path unstable she wobbled but the Doctor caught her and set her right again. Rory watched them swoop and dive. Sometimes he felt far too ordinary, far too _Rory_ , to be around them. 

“But I suppose they need somebody to be sensible,” he said to himself.

“Yes they do,” came a familiar voice from behind him.

He turned to see River a few feet away. She was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

She crossed the space and curled up against Rory’s side looking for all the world like a contented cat in the late afternoon sunshine. “I’m fine, don’t fuss.”

“You had a very nasty strain of the flu,” said Rory. Letting his arm drop around River’s shoulders. “That you wanted to suffer through on your own in prison.”

“Well _it is_ prison. You’re not supposed to flit in and out as the mood takes you,” replied River sleepily.

“Never stopped you before,” countered Rory, and River just laughed.

They sat like that for a while, watching Amy and the Doctor play in the sky. Rory always carried a knot of worry about his daughter in his chest, was she safe, was she _happy_? But being here like this eased it. If only temporarily. They didn’t get enough moments like this.

Amy managed to pull off a loop and Rory heard her laughter on the breeze. 

“Why Archaeology?” he asked suddenly.

River lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

“I mean, you could have done anything? Why that?” An idle question, but Rory found that he really did want to know now he’d asked.

River settled back down. “As a little girl, I was obsessed with Romans…”

Rory snorted. “If you’re not going to give me a straight answer…”

“No really,” said River earnestly. “I heard stories about ‘The Last Centurion’ before I even knew who you were. I wanted to know more. Then I got older and… well, things happened. I wanted to get to know you, and you sort of lived through history so that’s where I looked.”

Rory feels a lump in his throat that he has to swallow around before he can talk again. His daughter shouldn’t have had to go looking for him. He should have been there. “I thought it was just to annoy the Doctor,” he said finally to lighten the mood.

River chuckled and smirked. “That too.” 

**4 (River is 19)**

River kicked the side of the TARDIS hard enough to hurt her foot through the boot.

“Hey!” said Rory rushing over to her. “Don’t kick the TARDIS. It’s not her fault.” 

“It’s a war ship that’s withstood Barbarian hordes and attacks from Daleks, Sontarians and worse. I don’t think a little kick is going to hurt,” shouted River.

“She has feelings,” countered Rory. “And why are you shouting at me?”

River sighed loudly and dropped to the floor. Sitting with her back against the TARDIS. “Sorry TARDIS,” she said in a sing-song voice. She looked up at Rory. “Did Amy send you to ‘talk some sense into me’?”

“Why would she do that?” asked Rory. River glared up at him, ready for a fight. He sat next to her. “Go on then, what did he do?”

“Who?” asked River darkly.

“The Doctor, don’t pretend it’s not him. He’s the only one who ever makes your face look like that. If it’s any consolation he still makes your face look like that when your 40.” replied Rory.

River snorted. “Oddly, that’s not all that comforting, _Dad_.”

“Oh yes, sarcasm. I do enjoy dealing with the teenage you,” said Rory. But his eyes were bright and his voice was warm taking any possible sting out of his words.

River sighed. “He’s just such an infuriating, damned know-it-all. If he would just _listen_ for two minutes…”

Rory chuckled as River trailed off. “But you love him anyway.”

River looked shocked. “I don’t _love_ him. Most days I want to kill him. Pious, overbearing, arrogant, stupid, overbearing…”

“You’ve used overbearing twice, sweetheart,” pointed out Rory helpfully. River lapsed into a stony silence. Rory sighed. “You go to tell him something, and all he can say is he already knew. And half the time you’re sure he _must_ be lying, but you can’t prove it. And even if he isn’t he could let you have this moment. Just this once. Right?”

River stared at him with wide eyes. “How do you know that?”

Rory leant his head back against the TARDIS. “Pretty much the way your Mum made me feel all through our teenage years.”

“Must be nice,” said River in a small voice.

Rory tipped his head to the side to see River had pulled her knees up to her chest. “What?” he asked.

“To grow up with someone. All in the right order. I’m so out of step with _everyone_. He knows so much about me and he won’t _tell_. He’s so bloody frustrating. I want to shake him.” River picked an imaginary thread on her jeans.

Rory risked wrapping an arm round River’s shoulders. She tensed; young River was always so prickly around them. Particularly him. Older River would laugh and joke and call him Dad, it had actually taken some getting used too. Then he’d run into a younger version of River who was more standoffish and so obviously hurting that all he wanted to do was hug her. Just as he decided to pull away she relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder. Rory felt his heart jump at the small victory. “When we first met you, we didn’t even know who you were. You were the infuriating one with all the answers who wouldn’t share. It’ll all work out, River. Trust me.”

“You are such an optimist,” scoffed River, but she didn’t move away. Rory squeezed her shoulder gently.

“Hey, that teenaged boy I used to be got everything he wanted in the end. The girl, the family, all of it. Not in the way he expected. But right now I wouldn’t change any of it.”

River tensed again, but still didn’t move away. “This isn’t the end though. What if the end turns out to be something terrible?”

Rory risked a kiss to the top of his daughters head. “Then you, Amy, the Doctor. All this? Was worth it.” 

**5 (River is 44)**

“Hello sweetheart.” 

River turned to see him standing in the doorway. Her Dad.

“You’re missing your own party,” he said with a soft smile.

“I got bored,” she replied with a pout. “A whole room full of people and not one of them wants to kill me, even a little bit.” 

Rory rolled his eyes at her. “The Doctor is out there, give it time.”

River chuckled. “Professor River Song. Whoever would have thought I’d be that.”

“Well. Your Mum thought you might be Queen of the Universe, but I suppose there’s still time.”

“Do you miss her?” asked River slowly. “How long has it been for you?”

Rory smiled sadly. “A little over three years. I miss her all the time. But I still talk to her at night; I know she’s waiting for me.” River hugged her Dad and tightly as she could. He smelt like the TARDIS and Amy’s perfume, even after all this time. And something else too, something earthy and… safe. Rory hugged her back. “She would have been so proud of you today. _Professor_ Song. Her little jail bird.”

River chuckled into Rory’s shoulder and pulled back. “You look old,” she said.

“Thanks a lot!” replied Rory with mock outrage.

“I mean, this is the oldest I get to see you.” She touched Rory’s hair gently where it was greying at the temples. “The second oldest.”

Rory rested his forehead on hers. “Spoilers.”

River pulled back as if she’d been burned. “You know!”

Rory smiled. It was his old, weary, smile, more a ‘Last Centurion’ smile than a Rory one. “I have an idea. A guess.”

River felt sick. “I’m so sorry. Dad, I’m sorry.” 

There were tears running down her face that she just couldn’t stop. Rory wrapped her in his arms and rocked her like you would rock a child. Like he never could when she _was_ a child. 

“Shush, Melody. It’s okay. It’s alright,” he repeated it over and over. A low soothing voice saying comforting words she wished she could believe.

When she had finished crying, Rory passed her a packet of tissues. She used them, not wanting to point out that this was the 51st century and no-one used _tissues_ any more. 

“I’m sorry, Melody,” he said not looking at her. “I’m sorry we couldn’t… I couldn’t… keep you safe.”

“I don’t…” started River, but Rory held up a hand to stop her. Brown eyes lifted to look straight into hers. “This is my regret. Just like you have yours, and no amount of Time Travel will ever make them right. But today? Today you are going to go back to the party and be the wonderful _Professor_ River Song. And everyone there is going to be so envious of the fact that they could never be even a tenth that awesome. Then you’re going to dance with the Doctor and laugh when he trips over his own feet. I’m going to stand by the bar, tell everyone that you are _my_ daughter and possibly burst with pride. Then tonight I’m going to tell your Mum how amazing her little girl is. Deal?”

River couldn’t help but smile. “Deal.”

**+1 (River is 15)**

Long after everyone else had gone River was still stood by the graveside. She felt numb. She was sure she was supposed to have some kind of big emotional reaction but she can’t access it. Maybe this was her training locking it away. Or maybe this is how everyone feels when their Father dies. This horrible blank space in your head.

“You might as well come out,” she says aloud.

The Doctor appears at her side. She can’t quite make out where he came from. But then again she doesn’t care right now. “What gave me away?” he asked.

“I always know when you’re around,” replied River.

They stood side-by-side in silence for a while. River had never heard the Doctor be so quiet for so long.

“I did this,” said River. “And I can’t feel sad.”

“You will,” said the Doctor. “I’ve seen it.”

She was glad he didn’t try to tell her it wasn’t her fault. Her hand, her gun. Training only takes you so far, you go the rest of the way yourself.

“He was really unbelievably proud of you, you know,” continued the Doctor. “Sometimes he almost got boring about it. All River this, and River that.”

“He never even knew me,” replied River blankly.

“He will,” promised the Doctor.


End file.
